Paved Paradise*
Fandom: Mai HiME
Pairing: Yukino/Haruka, some one-sided Shizuru/Natsuki, vague Shizuru/Haruka
Rating: M for some sexual descriptions
Warnings: Lesbians, sex, and lots of word misuse**. If these offend, please click the blue arrow.
Summary: Years after high school, Haruka is astounded by the comprentation [sic] that Yukino is a lesbian. The impregnatable [sic] ex-Executive Director is forced to confront all possible implications wielded [sic] upon their relationship. [Potentially AU or continuation. Not to be taken too seriously.]
*Title from Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi".
**The section narrated by Haruka will have words in the wrong context and misspelled words. See if you can catch them all.

Yukino closed her briefcase and waited diligently as Haruka shuffled papers into her own satchel. She was very glad to be done with work, but like everyday, it was disappointing to part ways with Haruka at the train-station.

"Be safe!" Haruka told her sincerely. She was beautiful, grinning wide, her blonde hair falling out of a pinned-up bun. The sun splashed across the train station and landed over Haruka's shoulder, casting a golden glow to her hair and put her dark suit in sharp relief from the rest of the world.

"See you tomorrow," Yukino replied, aching somewhere in her heart.

The hour commute was annoying. Haruka offered to let her stay overnight again (as she had half the commute) but Yukino had heard at the office that Haruka's fiancée was in town. She couldn't bear to watch that interaction or the possibility of over-hearing sex—it twisted her stomach just to think of it. It certainly wasn't worth the shorter commute.

Finally home, Yukino fixed dinner, changed, put in contacts, and went out to a nearby gay bar which she frequented. To her surprise, a woman—tall, strong face, wide-forehead (though her legs were skinny)—immediately approached and hit on her. Yukino surprised herself when she replied in kind. It had been too long since she'd had sex. Surely it wasn't healthy for a 25 year old out-lesbian to be able to count the number of times she'd had sex annually on one hand. Haruka possibly having intercourse her fiancée had nothing to do with it.

And you're not harboring a childhood crush well into your twenties, she thought sarcastically as she let the woman—Something Mokoto—into her apartment.

They stumbled to the couch. Yukino somehow lost track of her shirt and bra, and then the pace of their intimacy changed. Mokoto, completely in charge, teased Yukino, working her hand under her skirt by millimeters, it felt like. Ages later, Yukino's underwear were discarded, and Mokoto was whispering, "Do you like it hard? Fast?"

Yukino moaned.

"Yeah," Mokoto agreed, and she entered Yukino with two fingers, pumping deep with her entire body. Yukino was at this point nearly delirious, especially after the teasing. She shifted her body to better take in Mokoto. Mokoto rewarded her by tilting her head to take Yukino's nipple into her mouth. In reply, Yukino clutched at Mokoto's shirt, sobbing and jerking her body in answering rhythm.

The door opened.

Abruptly, there was Haruka—whose presence seemed bigger and louder than Yukino had ever seen her. Yukino thought—but I wasn't even fantasizing about you!—before she realized this Haruka was definitely real. This Haruka was screaming and flailing around a floor lamp furiously. She swung at Mokoto, who looked comically surprised to be at the receiving end of a nonsexual physical attack. Thankfully the hit only managed to knock the lamp shade askew.

Yukino came to her senses. "Haruka-chan, stop!" she shouted, scrambling to cover herself.

"You pervert, assaulting Yukino! You bastard, you—"

"I thought you said you were single!" Mokoto shouted as she retreated to hide in the corner beside the television.

"You, you...woman?" Haruka was shocked enough to loosen her hold on the floor lamp, which Yukino snatched from her. Yukino couldn't stop her tears. "Get out!"

Mokoto looked stricken, but her face shifted to anger soon enough. "You said you weren't seeing anyone."

"I'm not. Haruka-chan, please, she wasn't assaulting me."

"But..." Haruka had a strange look on her face. "You're gay?"

"Yes." Yukino couldn't find it within herself to act defensive.

"Great," Mokoto grunted. She buttoned up her shirt and pants and made her way to the door. "Well, I had a great time until I almost got brained," she muttered, punctuating her statement by slamming the door.

"Oh," Haruka said, strangely muted. "I interrupted. I interrupted you and her and... I'm sorry. I mean, I was just checking in."

"Leave, Haruka-chan." Yukino was feeling too vulnerable.

"But—"

"Get out."

"I'm sorry." Haruka paused at the open door. She looked hopelessly young and very hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Yukino, finally feeling defensive, couldn't hide her anger. She waved her hand to dismiss Haruka and walked back to her tiny bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She listened until her front door shut, then began to run a bath. She needed to decompress. Just like Haruka-chan to rush in and save her, as if she naturally didn't have sex, as if she couldn't take care of herself. How like her to do all that—but not because she was jealous, or as Mokoto assumed, her girlfriend.

Too tired to cry, Yukino settled on the couch. To her irritation someone knocked on her door. It was Mokoto, not Haruka who stood there, holding a cheap little bouquet of flowers.

"Sorry," Mokoto said quietly. "I'd really like to finish what we started. Assuming Amazon-san isn't still here." She cast her eyes around cautiously.

With a sudden laugh, Yukino let her in.

Much later, Mokoto let out a pained moan. "What the fuck?" Loud rapping woke them both up. "It's..." She fumbled around to turn the clock in her direction. "...5:00 on a Sunday."

Yukino also groaned. She knew immediately who it was. "Haruka-chan."

"The Amazon? She's going to break my legs, isn't she?"

With another groan, Yukino got to her feet, found her glasses and a robe, and slipped around the corner to her living room. She winced on her calf; she must have pulled it last night. She quickly went to the door when Haruka bang-knocked again. Yukino jolted as the door swung inward, surprised to be greeted by the aroma of donuts and coffee.

"I'm sorry I messed up your date, Yukino. Can we have breakfast?" Haruka was in the same clothes as the night before, and her eyes were shadowed, as if she hadn't slept all night. Despite this, Yukino couldn't figure out a way she could possibly invite Haruka inside.

"Now isn't a good time." It wrenched Yukino's heart to turn down the heartfelt offer, as did Haruka's crestfallen expression.

"You're still mad?"

"You've given her all of six hours to get over interrupting her during sex. I'm glad you knocked this time." Mokoto was at least wearing a robe—though it was Haruka's robe, which brought a wince all on its own. Her dark hair was in a scattered mess, and she had—Yukino blushed—several hickies visible. The robe wasn't fully belted, and the cleft between her breasts slipped further and further into view.

Haruka gaped. "You're still here! You—"

"Haruka-chan, please. We'll talk later." She put her hand on the door. Before she could close it, Haruka braced herself and shoved the coffee and donuts into Yukino's hands. "You and your girlfriend have them. I'll see you at work tomorrow," she blurted before turning away and disappearing around the corner.

"Wow," Mokoto said. "She's pretty accepting without that lamp to chuck around."

In the weeks following her discovery of Yukino's sexuality, Haruka grew increasingly more irritable. Yukino seemed to be devoting a hell of a lot of time to her new girlfriend, and it left Haruka with the epiphamy that the true extent of her social circle was...Yukino. Sure, she had other friends and a lot of acquaintances from work, but Yukino was the only person she actively seeked out to spend time with. Ironically, the only time she saw Yukino was at work! She wasn't even ever able to talk to Yukino to let her know being gay was no problem. Or was it more politically correct to use 'lesbian'? She had a lot of questions as it was, and when Yukino turned her down for dinner again, she turned to another source.

"Haruka-han, what a delight."

It was funny that Fujino had started using that arcadic suffix since she began to live under the thumb of her parents again. "Want to come by my apartment for dinner, Shizuru-san?"

"Certainly."

"Did Kuga-san cancel on you?" Haruka asked, pleased by her institution.

"Yes, indeed."

"How's 7:30 sound?"

"I'll be there."

They were halfway through the main course when Haruka breeched the topic. "So, someone I know is gay—"

"Kikukawa-han?"

Haruka choked on her rice. "How did you know?"

To her irritation, Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "How didn't you?"

"That's not fair! Don't you have a radar thing?"

"The term I think you're looking for is gaydar, Haruka-han, and mine tends to be inaccurate to a tee." Shizuru shrugged in reply. "I saw her at a gay bar the other night. She was with Hisami Kyoko."

Hisami Kyoko? Kyoko? "Wait, what? Not Something or other Motoko?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"But! But—that's her girlfriend! Yukino wouldn't cheat!"

Shizuru paused and studied her for a moment. "Kikukawa-han seems to just be dating right now, Haruka-han."

"There's no way that's true," Haruka snapped. "She's been canceling on me and never has anytime for me. Why would she do that if she's just dating?"

Shizuru shrugged for the umpteenth time. She'd developed the habit in the last few years, apparently to the constipation of her parents. Haruka had learned to equate that gesture with a more sympathetic mindset behind her words. Shizuru said, "I'm sorry. It's irritating, isn't it?"

When Shizuru talked like that, she could only be referring to one person. "Kuga-san?" Haruka asked with a frown, trying to appear supportive.

Her physical gesture was in vain because Shizuru put a hand over her face. That bad, huh? Haruka thought. "She's been dealing in an awful crowd recently."

Recently? Haruka managed to keep that to herself. Kuga had graduated from the police academy to promptly get thrown in jail for assault. The last few years she'd been hanging out with a worse and worse crowd. Haruka wouldn't be surprised if she was in the mob now. She caught the inflection in Shizuru voice and couldn't help but say, "By 'dealing', you mean...?"

For a moment she thought Shizuru was going to snap at her and call her a liar, but Shizuru's entire body slumped into a defeated nod. "That too. I didn't mean to, but I found a whole..." She lowered her voice. "...brick of something under her sink. When I tried to confront her over it, she hung up on me. She's not even taking my calls anymore. That's not even mentioning the fact that she changed the lock on her apartment door." Shizuru swallowed thickly and took a sip of her water. "It isn't fair," she continued quietly. "I've stood by while she dated those men—"

Haruka shuddered at the tone of voice Shizuru adopted to say that word, as if it were poison. 'All those men' had actually been two, and they hadn't lasted long even in combination.

"And last week I saw her in Lady's Luck with a woman."

Woah, Haruka felt like edging out of her apartment and running for her life. She'd only heard that particular tone of voice once from Shizuru, and god help her if she wasn't scared shitless. Not that she'd ever tell anyone that, much less Shizuru—who wouldn't take it as a compliment. So, Haruka took a breath and once again was the supportive friend. "Wait, what? Like, a date?"

"Yes." Shizuru stirred her straw in her drink dejectedly. Haruka wondered if she'd get away with taking Shizuru's meat knife away.

"But if she's gay," she continued cautiously, "wouldn't she just come to you?"

It was apparently the wrong thing to say. Shizuru actually dropped her forehead onto the edge of the table—Haruka winced at the sound—and moaned. "I assumed her sexuality was what stood between us before. It's been nice these last few years because she hasn't been dating, at least overtly. And..." Shizuru blushed. "I shouldn't have, but I had some hope. She was acting so..." Shizuru gave another careless shrug. "But if suddenly her sexuality is not actually straight and narrow, then that means she doesn't love me..."

"Because of you, not your gender." Haruka frowned. It didn't make any sense. Kuga obviously cared about Shizuru a lot. The last time they'd hung out—all four of them—Yukino had made the off-handed comment later that she wouldn't be surprised if Kuga and Shizuru were dating now, and not because of how Shizuru had acted. It was probably best not to mention that now. "She really should have just told you."

"She's hardly telling me anything now, so what does it matter?" Shizuru's dejection slipped into bitterness.

Haruka though of Yukino keeping her sexuality a secret. Of Yukino gasping in what she'd assumed pain but now realized (with a jolt of her own) was pleasure. With her legs around that woman. That woman. With her legs around other strange women—who took up her time just because they had sex with her. In a moment of blind anger, she communicated that to Shizuru, who unceremoniously shrugged. "You're engaged, Haruka-han, you understand why sex and romance are important."

Haruka frowned in reply. She couldn't see how her fiancée had anything to do with Yukino having multiple sexual relations with strange women. "I'd rather spend time with Yukino than Yamashito-san."

Shizuru stopped moving and just stared at her.

"Besides." Haruka twitched uncomfortably under that look. "They can't possibly know her well enough, like what she likes to eat, what she can't, the types of movies she likes, what side of the couch she likes to sit on, and stuff. I bet they probably don't even know what she likes in bed. Hell, I bet I'd do a better job."

One of Shizuru's eyebrows slowly rose while the other remained motionless, and Haruka blinked, startled by what she'd said. "Indeed?" Shizuru asked neutrally.

"That's not really what I meant. Like, not that I know what she'd like, but I'd learn quick, and she wouldn't have to ask again. I'd do the stuff she would be too shy to ask for, even. I know I'm slow sometimes—" If Shizuru ever revealed that she'd said that, she would murder her—"but I know what Yukino likes."

"You aren't slow, Haruka-han," Shizuru said firmly. Then, instead of making note of the fact that Haruka had obviously just dug her hole deeper, she said, "Instead of moping here, let's get dressed and go out."

"Um," Haruka said. Then she thought, What the hell?

They met at a popular night club an hour later. They danced for a few songs and drank a few more than a few drinks. Then Shizuru opened her mouth and asked, "Are you straight, Haruka-han?"

"Of course," Haruka replied automatically.

"How long have you been engaged?"

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Around four years."

"How often do you have sex with your fiancée?"

Haruka gaped. "That's none of your business!"

"Every time he comes into town?"

"No," Haruka admitted. Then she took a moment to actually think about it. "We haven't," she realized.

"Haven't. At all?"

"No." This seemed perplexing because Haruka had somehow not realized they hadn't had sex ever. That she hadn't had sex, ever. "That's weird, isn't it? I'm a virgin!"

To her relief, Shizuru ignored the last part of her statement. "Is he attractive?"

Way to beat a dead hose, Shizuru-san. She shrugged. He was nice enough, okay looking, and somewhat okay to talk to.

"Do you want to have sex with him?"

Beer made her tongue loose. "No. I don't even like to kiss him. Could you stop beating this dead hose? I get the point." Shizuru's lips twitched. She leaned forward, and Haruka was distracted by her breasts, even more so by the startling line of freckles across the top of Shizuru's cleavage. Why the hell did Kuga-san go to some woman besides Shizuru? Did Shizuru have more freckles? "You should put on a jacket," she blurted, staring.

Shizuru ignored her. "Tell me, if Kikukawa-han confessed to you, would you have sex with her?"

Haruka scoffed. "No way."

Shizuru frowned.

"She'd never feel that way about me. I'm not even particulate—" Shizuru's lips twitched. (Why did she keep doing that?)—"I get all my files unorganized, I say stupid hurtful things all the time. I even interrupted her when she was having sex! And she's—" Haruka thought of Yukino smiling innocently, of her pushing her glasses up with an intelligent air, of Yukino setting her schedule straight (even though she was an editor, not Haruka's assistant), of her patience, her freckles, her curly hair. She really liked Yukino's recent hair style... "She's so smart and sweet and pretty. She's way out of my league. I know people wouldn't think that, but she has so much potential..."

"That doesn't answer my question," Shizuru pointed out.

Haruka frowned. "Yes," she admitted, a little startled. "Except if I'm not gay so wouldn't that hurt her more?"

Shizuru picked up her purse, and Haruka took that to be a signal they were leaving. It was fine; she was starting to get cold. As they stepped out into the street, Shizuru said, "Are you really still saying you aren't gay?"

Haruka frowned. She shook out her hair out of her face to glare at Shizuru. "How would I know?"

Then Shizuru was suddenly in her personal bubble, just a little taller. Their breasts brushed, and Haruka gasped so hard she choked on her own spit. Shizuru's breath fell on her lips, and suddenly they were kissing. She was...kissing bubuzuke woman!—and her tongue slipped gently into Haruka's mouth, and wow. She didn't know kissing could feel like that.

Shizuru backed away; she looked smug and satisfied. She had freckles across the bridge of her nose, Haruka noted distractedly. "You're a really good kisser," was the first thing she could think to say.

"It's the softness," Shizuru replied conspiratorially. She looped her arm into Haruka's and set off in a giddy sway. "Imagine if it had been Kikukawa-han."

Haruka jolted down deep inside between her legs so hard she had to stop walking. Sweet Yukino, moaning in pleasure, legs spread, and Haruka was between them, touching her just right. And they'd wake up together every morning because she always slept better listening to Yukino breathe; they'd live together. No more not seeing Yukino outside of work. They'd have a few nights a week to go out—on dates. They'd have sex a lot. "Oh," she said in shock. "I'm in love with Yukino."

Shizuru patted her on the back. "Well done, Haruka-han. Why not tell her tomorrow?"

"I couldn't," Haruka realized dumbly. "We couldn't be friends if she won't date me."

"Go out of a limb."

"It doesn't always work out." She saw Shizuru wince and pulled her into a hug quickly. "I didn't mean you. That wasn't what I meant!"

"C'est la vie," Shizuru replied poetically, patting her shoulder.

The next morning, scared and excited and jittery—would Yukino figure it out? how could Haruka hide what she felt now that she realized it herself?—Haruka opened the morning paper to relax herself with a read. The front page of the Society was what she turned to first. Her parents had just invested in a fashion magazine, and Haruka was due to take over that business completely from them so it seemed prudent. It was a surprisingly juicy article, framed above a large color picture of two attractive blonde women in lip-lock. "I wonder who..." Then she saw the headline.

FUJINO AND SUZUSHIRO HEIRS IN A STARCROSSED LOVE AFFAIR

She turned her eyes back to the picture, uncomprehending. But it was Shizuru. It was herself—kind of weird to see herself in profile; was her forehead really that big?—and they were indeed in 'lip-lock', eyes closed. Shizuru even had the gall to be smiling.

Haruka shrieked in shock when her phone rang. Her mother's voice over the answering machine sent her scrambling to pick up. "Mama!"

"Haruka-chan, sweetheart, we wish you had told us. At least before you decided to kiss the Fujino girl in public."

"Good catch!" her father shouted behind her mother's voice.

"B-b-but we aren't! I mean, that is, she was just fooling around!"

"Sweetheart, it's okay. You're gay. I'd honestly been wondering. Go ahead and admit it; it's fine."

To her horror, Haruka burst into tears. "You aren't d-d-disappointed?"

The next half an hour, Haruka was embarrassingly insecure. She was at least able to laugh when her father said, "It'll be great for the magazine! Well done!"

She immediately called Shizuru. It went straight to voicemail. "This is your fault, you-you-you bubuzuke woman! Call me back!"

Shizuru actually obeyed her for once. "My mother was on the phone," Shizuru opened. She sounded shell shocked. "They know I'm a lesbian." Shizuru gasped abruptly. "Oh, my god!" Then she asked, "What did you call me, bubuzuke…?"

"Are you disinherited?"

For some reason Shizuru laughed. "No. I managed to point out that our newspaper sales were sure to be up."

"No news like sorbid lesbian affairs."

"Yes, a 'sorbid' lesbian affair between two hot women. Though my mother said, 'Did it have to be that Suzushiro girl?'"

Haruka snickered. "Imagine if it were Kuga-san." Then she wondered if she was going to have to stick her entire leg in her mouth. To her relief, Shizuru chuckled. "I think I would have been disowned. Though I don't think I'd care." That last statement was forlorn, despite the chuckle. Shizuru paused. "Just a moment; someone at the door."

Haruka heard the banging. "Geez, check your peep-hole first; that doesn't sound safe."

"Ara," Shizuru gasped. "It's Natsuki." There was the sound of fumbling, then Shizuru said, "I have to go."

"Hey, wait—" She'd already hung up. "Well, hell," Haruka mumbled. She jolted when someone knocked on her door. "Shit!" It was Yukino; she knew that knock anywhere. Scrambling to her feet, she ripped the door open. The sight of Yukino was balm on her rattled nerves.

"Can I come in?" Yukino asked her quietly.

"Yeah. What made you stop by?"

"Oh." Yukino paused and ducked her head. "You haven't seen the article, then."

"What article?" Haruka saw the Society pages and nearly swallowed her own tongue. The two calls she'd made had actually made her forget about the FRONT PAGE article—wasn't that libbel anyway?—complete with a color picture. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"Your picture is on Society outing you to Japan, and you forgot, Haruka-chan?" Yukino's finger brushed the picture, and Haruka shuddered. She blushed and shifted awkwardly, feeling strange that her body reacted in such a way. "Well, I was just talking to Shizuru-san."

Yukino seemed to shrink. She tended to do that when she was scared or upset. It didn't make any sense; Yukino wasn't scared of Shizuru, anymore at least. "I guess you needed to," Yukino said, turning to smile stiffly. She was a little pale.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked, immediately alarmed.

Yukino looked on the verge of tears. Haruka's mind jumped to Shizuru telling her about those women (plural!) she'd been dating. "Did one of those women hurt you?" she growled.

"Women?"

"That you're dating?" Haruka spelled it out.

Yukino blinked. She looked discomforted. She was wearing glasses this morning, not contacts. She was so comfortable to look at, so beautiful and pleasant, and Haruka felt herself start when she realized she'd been daydreaming a little. Oh, right, I'm in love with her. "Oh, no," Yukino replied. "I was just...surprised about Fujino-san."

"About Fujino-san? But you knew she was gay."

Yukino gaped at her, and Haruka gaped back. "I was surprised you're with her."

"Oh," Haruka mumbled. "But I'm not. We're aren't. It isn't. She was just fooling around. She'd in love with Kuga."

"Do you love her? That's horrible of her—"

"No, no. I love you." Haruka's eyes rounded, and she stared in terror at Yukino, who blinked back owlishly. Why did she just blurt it out like that? Idiot! That wasn't romantic at all, and it was embarrassing, and, and, "I mean, I understand if you don't feel the same way. I know I'm frustrating and slow sometimes and that I hurt you a lot—" As a testament to that, Yukino's eyes filled with tears. "—but I just realized that it's true, and..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

Yukino blinked out her tears and said thickly, "What about Yamashiro?"

"What about him?" What was it about these women asking about that guy?

"You're engaged to him."

"Oh, right," Haruka said. "Guess I need to call him and let him know the engagement's off. My parents are okay with that too. He probably won't care."

Yukino's entire body set to trembling, and Haruka flinched back. "Sorry if I made things awkward by confessing. I hope we can maybe go back to the way we were before."

"Haruka-chan." And then Yukino was right there, standing on her tiptoes and they were kissing. Yukino gasped and laughed and cried all at once, kissing Haruka all over her face. Haruka was stunned. "I love you, Haruka-chan. I love you; I love you; I love you."

"Really?"

Then Yukino's mouth settled over hers, and her tongue was in Haruka's mouth, and Yukino pressed up against her entire front, rubbing herself across Haruka's breasts. Halleluiab, Haruka thought. That was definitely a positive answer.

-end-