He grabbed her, and squeezed her close to him. She didn't move; her eyes were tearing up.
Three little words left her mouth in a sqeak, "I'm so happy…"
She brought her arms up to wrap around his shoulders. The two other girls standing beside the new couple were astonished. They couldn't believe he had fallen in love with her. He tightened his grip.
His voice was a murmur, "You scared me."
She smiled and brought her hand up to wipe away a tear. "I'm sorry, Sousuke."
"Please don't ever do that again, Ms. Kutani."
Now they were married; she wasn't a Miss anymore. He had proposed only a month after they had started dating because he was about to go on a long mission that could take years to accomplish. She had accepted, and they had been married the day before he left. They were not a very close couple; they had only kissed twice altogether after the wedding. And they kissed a third time before he left. They would try to have a honeymoon when he returned.
He was gone though. And she would sit on the dock where he had left, every afternoon and wait for his arrival. She would wait alone; she refused to do anything with friends in the evening and she had severely injured a man who had thrown himself at her. She had told him she would wait, no matter how long for his return.
Her name was Emiri, and she was a resident of Tokyo, Japan, near the school Jindai High. She had transferred there her senior year and she was now spending the first semester of school without her new husband who would be in the same grade, the same class.
Emiri sat at the back of the classroom, staring absent-mindedly out the window. Her eyes drifting into the sky from the courtyard, watching grey clouds roll by. She felt the weather was mimicking her heart; how it felt dull and grey.
A spazzy girl named Kyoko came rushing over to Emiri, and sat on her desk, hopping up and down. "Hey! Kaname and I are going to karaoke this afternoon and were wondering if you would go with us!"
Emiri would not be rude; she looked back from her sky-gazing and stared at Kyoko in confusion. "Kaname doesn't like me, Kyoko." She said it as nicely as possible, though almost everyone knew this. After what Sousuke had yelled at her in the school courtyard, the whole school knew Kaname would hate Sousuke and his new girlfriend.
Kaname strutted up to the desk, grabbing the collar of her friend's shirt and dragging her to the door. "Come on, Kyoko, I thought we were going for karaoke-" Kaname stopped when she noticed who Kyoko had been talking to. "Oh, its you. Having fun being lonely while your puppy dog is away?" Kaname's voice was sharp and angry.
"One, he's not my puppy, he's my husband!" Emiri's eyes started to tear up as she became more angered. "Two, yes, I miss him very much, but what the hell do you care?" She held her face in her hands and ran away from Kaname, dripping a tear or two on the floor.
"See, Kyoko, I told you she was bad for him-"
"Kaname-chan! You just made Emiri cry!" Kyoko made a sour face and grabbed Kaname's cheek.
"Like she said, I don't care." Kaname non-chalantly stepped towards the door.
Kyoko frowned at her best friend. "Even after Sousuke told you all that stuff, you're still going to be mean to her? It's not like she stole him from you!"
Kaname looked to the floor; she felt terrible, but she wasn't going to say anything about it.
Emiri sat alone in his apartment, clutching his school uniform, curled up in a ball on the couch. She held it as close as possible, crying into it. She was thinking about him way too much; he had been gone now for three months. She didn't go sit at the dock today; she stayed inside and cried, all alone. She felt fragile and easily breakable. She hated it.
The next morning, she didn't go to school; she stayed in the neighborhood. She ran around the neighborhood, working out her leg muscles. She wouldn't quit school; she just needed something to get her mind off him. She carried weights as she ran to hopefully strengthen her arms. Her heart pounded as she ran; her legs were tired though she kept going.
Emiri only rested when she felt her breakfast coming up to greet her. She emptied her stomach in a trash can nearby, and sat on the bench, watching the sun over the pond. She hadn't noticed she had made it to the park in such a short time after she checked her watch. Her phone vibrated. She ignored the call.
"You see, Kaname! You just poured salt into an open wound! She was already missing Sousuke a lot, and you had to make that remark about it! Now she won't even answer her phone!" Kyoko growled at Kaname and flung her arms around in the air to express her anger.
Kaname did feel guilty now. She hadn't thought about how much it must hurt to not be able to see your love. She had felt it for a very long time, and Emiri was nice to her the whole time. Emiri was there, before Sousuke even knew her, helping Kaname through it. This is why he likes her. She's so kind…
"I want to go apologize to her after school. I feel bad for what I said." Kaname's words were barely audible to Kyoko, but she hugged her best friend anyway.
Emiri was on the floor inside the apartment. She placed both hands on either side of her body and began to lift herself. She counted the push-ups as if she had been doing this all her life. She pushed herself to her limit; forty-eight. Not good enough.
She began to sit up when she heard a knock on the door. She snatched the baseball bat beside the door and carefully peeked through the eye-hole. It was Kaname. Weird.
Emiri opened the door cautiously and dropped the bat behind the door. "Hello." Her voice came out plain and apathetic.
"I-um..well, I…I'm sorry about yesterday. I brought some food if you would like any…I mean, I-I'm really sorry." Kaname stared at her feet and stuttered, embarrassed.
Emiri looked a little sad, but she was sweating. And wearing her gym shorts and tank top. What had she really been doing all day?
"It's okay, I feel like a brat for saying what I did. Please forgive me. Can we…possibly be friends? I know you don't like me because of my arrangements, but I don't want to be your enemy. You're a really nice person that I think I could get along with really well." Emiri also looked at her feet; Kaname was easily a foot and a half taller than she. Emiri looked up, and gave her the cutest look she could muster.
Kaname looked to Emiri, and saw this sad, but adorable look. "Of course we can be friends!" Kaname reached out her arms and wrapped them around Emiri. The two hugged as new friends.
"Do you want to come in and eat with me? I don't like to eat alone."
"Of course!"
As the days went on, Emiri became stronger and stronger, also killing all those little fatty pockets. Her physical appearance became breathtaking as she took pills to stimulate her hair's growth. She may have been short, but she became cute and beautiful, almost like a porcelain doll. Yet, she had another side people didn't know about. Emiri didn't want to lean on people anymore; she took many martial arts classes and continued to train physically. She became almost a soldier herself; she took classes on weaponry and stealth. She became almost two faced-she would be cute and pretty, then turn around and have a gun to some one's head. Kaname once said she was becoming more like her husband every day he was gone. She still missed him; she would lay through many sleepless nights, crying until her eyes were red. She had made a goal that she would become perfect, if only for him. She became better friends with everyone at school, and soon best friends with Kaname and Kyoko. Emiri continued to train on her appearance, and her skills for three more months.
A strange knock was heard on the door. Emiri jumped from under her bed and whipped out the revolver in her back pocket. A key jiggled in the lock, and she rolled on the floor, taking refuge behind the bedroom door. Her dark green military boots made no sound as she took action, and her camo pants and black tank top stayed on her form. The pants were quite baggy, but they were comfortable as hell and she looked cute with her tight tank top.
The door creaked open, and boots clacked on the floor. She heard a man's voice.
"Emiri? Are you home?"
She would not be fooled.
Emiri rolled out from her position, grabbing her enemy from the back and pointing the gun at his head. This maneuver was difficult because the man was tall, and she was at least two feet shorter than him. He did not move under her grasp, and only murmured.
"What do you want?" The strange man whispered.
Emiri's tone was harsh and unforgiving. "To know why you are breaking into my house."
"Who are you? I live here! And my wife lives here! What did you do to her?" The man grabbed Emiri's arm and twisted it, she made a small sound of pain. She used her other arm to hit the pressure point on his neck, rendering his arm that had grabbed hers useless. She grabbed both his arms and twisted them over one another and pushed him to the floor, his right cheek pressed into the carpet. The man growled angrily as he was subdued. He attempted to trip her with his feet, and she simply jumped over them and stepped on his legs with her feet so he couldn't move them. "Damn!"
Emiri couldn't see anything, she was just going by what she heard and what she could feel. She held his arms in place with one arm and pressed the gun to his head with the other arm. "You can't live here! You probably have the wrong house number unless you're trying to kidnap me. And this better not be some stupid joke! I'm waiting for my husband to come home from war, I am NOT in the mood to be hackled at one o'clock in the morning!"
"I'm coming home to my wife who has been waiting patiently for me! I, an elite member of Mithril's own SRT was subdued by a short little girl. This will not do." The strange man made a defeated sound as Emiri pressed his cheek more firmly into the ground, then actually recalled what he had said.
"Mithril? Are you Sousuke Sagara?" Her tone became drenched in excitement. She wiggled a little while holding him. She would not drop her guard, that would be stupid. Nonetheless, she was excited.
"Yes, and what does it matter to you?" His tone was very angry now, his usual poker face gone.
Emiri slowly let go of his limbs and smiled really big. She was so happy she could cry. She couldn't see his face, but it was unmistakable. This was her husband; he had finally returned.
"Big mistake." Sousuke, still unaware this was his wife, grabbed Emiri and pulled her to the ground, pinning her down with his hands and knees. He heard her head hit the wood floor off the carpet.
Emiri was now going to cry out of pain. The back of her head stung really bad now, and she reached back to touch it, and Sousuke whipped her hand away with a flick of his wrist. She remembered he didn't know who she was yet. "Sousuke, it's me, Emiri. And if you don't believe me, your SRT number is Urzu-7 and your other name was Kashim. Your captain is Tetheletha Testarossa who sent you to guard the Whispered, Kaname Chidori and I."
Emiri couldn't see well, but she could tell the expression on his face soften so much within only a few seconds. He reached behind her head and felt the blood. Emiri winced in pain, and swatted his hand away. "Ow…" She mumbled as a tear ran down her cheek out of happiness and pain.
Sousuke leaned back away from her and helped her up. He tried to guide her toward the bathroom, and she buried her face in his chest. She grabbed his dull green Mithril uniform and would not let go. His arms slowly came behind her, holding her closer to him. She cried as she bled; she was so happy to see him the pain didn't matter.
Sousuke whispered, "Hi."
Emiri smiled and tried to pull closer to him, even though it was physically impossible. Sousuke lifted his hands to her head again, and felt the blood trickling down. He leaned a little, and picked her up off the ground into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He pulled out a wet rag and dabbed at her head. She murmured ouch several times as he rubbed in some Neosporin and wrapped a cloth around her head to hold the white gauze pad in place.
Sousuke held her face in his hands and she smiled up at him, even though he was kneeling at her height. He smiled back, and rubbed his nose to hers. She giggled as he cupped her cheek with one hand and brushed her hair out of her face with his other. She felt like a stupid child. But she didn't care.
"Hi." Emiri spoke quietly, as if to mimic Sousuke. He laughed, then she laughed, and they laughed together for a few seconds. He stood and took her hand, leading her back to the bedroom. He unbuttoned then unzipped his uniform, taking off the whole green thing and dropping it to the floor. He was left in his camo pants and a black t-shirt. His dog-tags dangled on his chest.
The moonlight shining through the window was enough to see each other, and Sousuke gasped as Emiri moved. She turned to look at him, her golden-brown hair cupping her face when she turned; her blue eyes sparkling and bringing out the hint of sapphire in the moonlight. She was beautiful, and Sousuke literally could not speak.
"Emiri…you are…" He took a bare-footed step towards her, and held her face in his hands. He just now noticed how soft her face was, compared to his rough hands. She brought up a hand to hold his on her face, and she leaned into it as she looked at him.
Emiri had tried to fix this when he was gone; she gazed into his eyes and was lost within the never-ending pools of silver that they were, forever entrapping her to look. He leaned in slowly and planted a small, gentle kiss on her cheek.
She looked up to him in wonder; this man she had fallen head over heels in love with. He had changed; his body was more defined, his muscles showed through even his baggy pants. He had become more handsome, and he seemed more mature. She laughed when she noticed they were matching. Sousuke noticed what she was staring at and laughed a little too.
Sousuke thought quietly to himself. The words he was thinking could not be said, he didn't have the courage. He thought, Emiri, I didn't think it was possible, but you have become even more beautiful than when I saw you last. Everything about you is beautiful; you eyes, your lips, your face, your hair, your arms, your whole body. You look magnificent, beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, breathtaking, I can't even think of enough words to describe you. He decided to say instead, "Y-you look b-b-beautiful."
Her eyes widened more and more as he stared, a red tint hitting her cheeks. She jumped towards him, knocking him onto the bed. She buried her face in his shirt and grabbed his shirt with her hands. She didn't know how to show him that she was happy. She looked up from his shirt and stared into his steel eyes with her sapphire ones, and red tinting her face.
"That makes me really happy…" She looked to the side for only a moment, pondering. She looked back to him, and pulled herself up on his body, then leaned in and kissed him.
Sousuke's eyes bugged out, he was surprised she had instigated this. He latched his arms onto her back, feeling her as she dug her hands into his hair. Sousuke stopped slowly and attempted to pull away, but Emiri leaned down to him. She was intent on making him happy. Seeing that she hadn't let his lips go, he held the back of her head softly and held her back. Neither moved; they sat in silence for several seconds, their lips touching carefully, as if to not damage the other's.
Emiri grabbed his face with both hands and attempted to get her tongue into his mouth. She had read about it but never done it before, this being their fourth kiss. Sousuke didn't understand at first, but the more she licked his lips, the more he began to understand. She was glad he didn't try to let go and make this extremely awkward for the both of them.
Sousuke finally parted his lips, and he licked her tongue with his, then sunk his tongue into her mouth, him now holding her face. Emiri was glad he liked it, or at least so it seemed. She intertwined her tongue with his, they attempted to hold each other's tongue with their own. She snuck her hands under his neck then under his head, and he moved his hands to feel her back. He rubbed slowly, and carefully.
As Sousuke's fingers swam across her back, Emiri's face became a bright pink with embarrassment. She thought, Are we going to go there? Already? Only our fourth kiss? Am I going to lose my virginity tonight?
The last question scared her internally. Emiri was afraid of how much it would hurt, and how much more it would hurt if she were to get pregnant. She wasn't ready for that, she wouldn't be able to bear it.
She internally cursed herself. He hadn't done anything to instigate that. He probably didn't even know what that was.
Funny thing is, they were thinking the same questions. Not the same answers, but they were both not ready to make such huge progress in their relationship. At least not that kind of progress.
Sousuke's hands slipped to her lower back, and lifted up her shirt. He rubbed her bare-back, then rolled his hands down slowly, massaging what he could. He got to her hips and held them tenderly.
Emiri shrieked, right after coming out of her questions.
Sousuke leaned forward, taking her with him, and holding her, arms protectively all the way around her back. "What's wrong, did I hurt you? Are you alright?" His voice was shaky and worried.
To reassure him, she leaned against him and listened to his heart beat. "You just surprised me, that's all. I didn't think you were going to do that." She smiled sweetly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, or to touch where I shouldn't, Emiri, I'm sorry-"
Emiri leaned into him, her lips gracing his at his last syllable. "You can touch me anywhere. I'm just not ready for…you know, sexual intercourse."
"I completely and totally agree, I am afraid of hurting you. I'm glad we are thinking the same thing…" Sousuke sighed as a tightness in his chest was released.
"But you can touch me anywhere you like, I don't mind. I like your hands; they are a part of you which makes them special to me. If you feel like you want to, I don't mind the touching. And I kind of want you to…" Her last sentence caused him to carefully lay her down on the bed, him now leaning over her, his knees on either side of her body.
Sousuke's voice came quiet and slow, as if he would have broken something if he didn't speak quietly. "I don't mind if you touch me either."
Sousuke leaned back down to kiss her, holding his arms leisurely under her head for only a few moments. He slipped them out easily, and moved one hand to her hip, the other cupping her shoulder tenderly as they kissed. His hair brushed against her face. Her arms rose from her sides and hung around his neck, before moving down to his chest. She moved them up under his shirt and caressed his muscles. Sousuke breathed heavily into her mouth as their tongues danced.
His hand moved up and down her side, rubbing gently and his other hand caressed her arm. He turned his face slightly to the left, and was rewarded with more access to her mouth. He was becoming slightly excited, his blood was pumping around his body a little faster now. He dominated her tongue and swiped her mouth over with it. She pushed his tongue back with hers, the both of them fighting a non-winning battle. Emiri's heart picked up the pace the slightest bit, transferring Sousuke's excitement to her. She opened her eyes from their kiss, and stared at his gentle features and his soft expression.
Sousuke opened his eyes for only a moment, but he noticed she was staring at him. Her eyes held a strange expression to them unknown to Sousuke. His eyes mimicked hers, and he pushed his tongue harder in her mouth, searching faster for something he could not quite grasp.
Emiri suddenly pulled away from him. "Some one's here." She rolled off him faster than he could recall her words. She whipped a handgun out of her camo pants and rolled quietly to the door.
Sousuke just lay there, his mind still in a fuzz.
Emiri stood up and put her gun back in place. "Sorry, false alarm, it was just a neighbor." She walked back to him where he lay on his crappy little cot. She sat next to him as he sat up.
"Where did you get that-?" Sousuke lay his hand over her back and whipped out the gun, twirling it in his hand. "This is a nice gun, better than mine." He held it up to examine it. "It's got-"
"Two slots to fire two bullets at once, a fully automatic lever, a nice safety button on the back, and the slides that hold the bullets can be exchanged to fit larger ones. The bullets loaded right now are 9mm; I did not want it to go off and shoot me on accident. I carry many other bullets and slides in my pants if needed, and they do not hinder my movement."
Sousuke was interrupted only to find the words taken right out of his own mouth. "Where did you learn this…?"
"While you were gone, I spent time learning how to protect myself. I joined many different martial arts clubs at school and I am taking lessons with a private teacher. I was scared." Emiri looked away from him at the opposite wall, remembering the many people who had tried to attack her.
Sousuke turned her face back, and he finally saw it. A cross shaped scar on her face…opposite side of his own. He slowly wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her into his chest. "I was so lost without you, Emiri. I felt I had no purpose there, that I needed to be here with you. Where I feel I belong. At home." He rubbed his head slowly on the top of hers.
Emiri smiled. "You must be tired. Let's go to bed…I'll make you breakfast tomorrow." She returned his soft hug, and pushed him down into the mattress a little. "And don't freak out if I'm not with you in the morning; I have a training regiment to stick to."
Sousuke's heart thumped. These things she was saying somehow set off a fire in his chest. Her words sounded so beautiful; as ironic as it was. He leaned back all the way and snuggled into her, his head buried next to her head on her shoulder. He made a satisfied noise as he pulled her closer.
Emiri turned to the side to pull further into his arms and pushed his head up so she could fit her head on his chest. She wanted him to hold her; she needed to be in your arms. Sousuke seemed unwilling. "Sousuke, I need you. I need to be in your arms, I need you near me." Her words changed his opinion, and he relaxed to her gentle hands on his chest. She snuggled in, rubbing against him and smiling broadly. "I l-love y-y-you, Sergeant…"
"I love you too. Good night, Goddess."
His words warmed her heart.
Sousuke did not sleep at all. When Emiri sat up and rubbed her eyes, he wasn't there. She was used to waking up without him, so she just got up as usual and pulled a pair of matching panties and bra out of the dresser drawer she had brought over to his house and put next to his closet. She pulled her school uniform out and laid all the articles of clothing on the dresser. She undressed and pulled on her jogging shorts and top. She checked her watch. 4:30…plenty of time.
Emiri left the house jogging and jogged down the stairs. She jogged around the city for about an hour, then came back to the apartment, running smack dab into Sousuke when she stopped in front of his apartment. They both fell, then recovered quickly and held the other in a choke hold. They saw each other and dropped their arms. Emiri sighed, then took in a huge breath. Sousuke laughed a little, then they stood in silence.
"Nice morning-" Sousuke started.
Emiri chimed in, almost interrupting him, "Yeah it is-"
"So you were-"
"Running, you were-"
"Running as well-"
"Ah I see."
They both laughed at their sudden small talk. Sousuke wiped off her forehead with his sweat towel he had brought as they walked back to the apartment together.
Kaname had watched their meeting from her window. He's back…with her. Her heart dropped; Sousuke was smiling and laughing with this girl…she was jealous, but she and Emiri were best friends now, and their marriage wouldn't get in the way of that. Kaname smiled at the thought.
"I'm taking a shower, Sousuke." Emiri snatched the clothes she had laid out and hopped into the shower. Sousuke made a grunt of acknowledgement as he began to lift weights.
Sousuke thought, God, these are heavy…who was using them? He looked down at a label pasted to the side of the weight and his jaw dropped. It read Emiri Sagara with a little smiley face after the cursive. Sousuke smiled at the last name. Then he thought, There's no way she could…
Emiri grabbed the shower bar and tugged a few times. It wasn't going anywhere. She had already undressed and the shower was warming up. She grabbed the bar and pulled herself up and down several times until she felt the water start to get hot. She was about to let go when the bar broke and she fell. She shrieked.
Sousuke jumped at the sudden sound and rushed next to the door. "Emiri! Are you okay?"
"I fell." Her voice came annoyed and severely pissed.
"Do you need help?"
"No, I'm-" She grabbed the side of the tub and attempted to pull herself up. She slipped on the water and fell again. She made another squeak of pain. "-fine, Sousuke, I'm fine I promise."
Sousuke frowned. She needs help.
Emiri tried to sit up. She pulled the towel off the rack and draped it over her naked, wet body. She leaned up and clicked the lock on the door. Sousuke heard the locks click and he opened the door, barely missing her head. She fell back, slipping again. The wound on the back of her head was bleeding again after she fell and hit her head on the tub. Sousuke leaned down and lifted her up, setting her slowly on her feet. He dropped his arms, but she didn't let go of him. He blushed a deep scarlet red as she snuggled up against him and closed her eyes.
"I need your help…don't let me fall, Sergeant."
Sousuke nodded and gulped, looking down to see the towel being the only thing between their bare skin. His face became covered in the red color as he placed his hands slowly on her shoulders. "W-w-would you l-like for m-m-me t-to turn the sh-shower off?"
"Just turn on the regular water and run a bath please, sir. She held as close to him as possible and blushed a little. Her love for him had grown immensely since he had left. She didn't want him out of her sight. Ever.
Sousuke slowly sat her down on the toilet lid and closed the door behind him. He locked it. He didn't want a terrorist getting in without his consent. Emiri nodded at his decision. "I hate terrorists too."
Sousuke looked to her in confusion, "How did you know those were my true intentions?"
"What else could you be doing?"
Sousuke looked back to the door, a daydream playing in his mind.
He grabbed her and thrust himself into her, pressing her body against the door roughly. She scratched into the door frame as his member flew in and out-
"Sousuke?" Her innocent voice brought him back.
"Please excuse that. Well, I…we could have…well…PLEASE DISREGARD EVERYTHING I HAVE JUST SAID I DID NOT MEAN SUCH THINGS!" Sousuke stood rigid and saluted her, his face bright red.
"I know Sousuke, but you're not that kind of guy. You wouldn't do that to me when I'm hurt, right? But if I was fine, I would have been so delighted."
He looked to her, dumbfounded again. "Emiri, can you read my mind?"
"No sir. But I know you. The real you."
Sousuke smiled gingerly. "You have changed so much since the last time I saw you. Please forgive my outbursts then."
Emiri smiled beautifully up at him from her awkward seat, "It's not a problem."