Well well, here we are again, or should have been since a good while. This may come across as one of the most stupid things a writer can do but I actually finished this some serious time ago. Kieli and I even finished the proofreading and editing stuff long ago and I bet she's been wondering where the hell this plus its writer went. Truth to tell, I finished it all up, put it in a neat little folder and forgot about it. Completely.

Ops

Now, let's stop staring and go over to the yummy part, cuz yummy it will be this time. I usually don't put my stories in any specific timelines but this may be read as a sequel to Learning How to Walk, it works in a sense, just be sure to drop some of the expectations of the deeeep (?) introspection that might remain from that one. Since really, there's not a lot of complicated stuff here (read the title… lol).

I had also like to thank everyone who read Learning How to Walk and left such wonderful reviews. I knew that one would turn out good with the work I put down, but I just never expected this much praise! LOL and hugzz to you all!

So OMG, why are you still reading this? Aren't you the slightest curious about what happened after Shizuru's hand went God knows where in "Learning"?

-giggles-

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Bedtime Manners for Two

A Ficlet by Shigan Lee

Edited by The Kieli

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"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.
– David Viscott

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"Make love to me."

The words slipped out before I could contemplate, or even grasp what I had just had suggested. My mouth didn't feel dry from nerve-splitting anxiety and my tongue seemed to be in place; there wasn't any drama cued stuttering or embarrassed mumbling involved. I'm not sure what triggered it.

Of course, it could have been the lock of chestnut hair that lazily rested against her collarbone, the shadows cast by the soft light playing at the curve of her shoulder, or the way that dangerously low-necked silk kimono hugged around her upper body. Anything or nothing at all, I couldn't say for sure.

She didn't move; no teary cry of joy followed by her throwing herself in my arms as the second-rated romance novels goes. She laid down the book she was reading (Pride and Prejudice, how fitting!), and slowly removed her reading glasses as if she were thinking about every move the task demanded. Delicate hands folded the expensive volume as she ran a slender finger along the meticulous binding, carefully inserting the bookmark into its place before placing what could easily be considered her favourite western literature novel aside.

She was still not looking at me. Instead, she folded her hands and focused on them in a collected, but undeniably loaded silence. I looked down at her from my sitting position on the quilts, my brush lay forgotten at my feet. The image of her half-covered by sheets and propped up by a small group of pillows while contemplating my request of physical involvement with such seriousness suddenly struck me as rather humorous.

I started to snicker, which broke her from the daze. She snapped up her head with a surprisingly animated expression, a vast difference from her usual patented face of perfected neutrality. Something flickered briefly in her intense gaze as her eyes raked over my poor, exposed figure with rapt attention. I pulled up my legs to hide my smirk behind my knees, knowing full well of the sight I was treating her to. This simple lime green shirt scarcely covered my top half which left certain areas rather exposed when I sat in certain positions.

Her lips curled into a soft half-smile. It was a smile I had learned after six years of friendship that said I should be expecting something to happen soon and probably on my expense. She reached back and undid her hair from her usual post-shower set up, shaking the chestnut tresses back to their natural places in a glorious flow, framing that forever collected face in their silky favour. She always said that she liked my hair better; one had to wonder why while witnessing the divinity of her simple display.

I didn't dare move, since I honestly couldn't fathom what my request would provoke from her. At least Little Red Riding-Hood got to ask three questions before being pounced on. Well ok, I knew the pure technicalities if the heat in cheeks indicated anything, but whatever you managed to pick up from college, media and your own dirty imagination was certainly nothing like the real thing, especially when the real thing was Fujino Shizuru in all her fresh-showered splendour. And that kimono really wasn't helping - at all.

"Ara, Natsuki is all red." She said, in her usual amused tone of voice. Whatever she thought of my proposition, her voice wasn't betraying it. "Why is that I wonder?" She flashed me one of those playful winks that sent chills down my spine and began digging herself into our bed. I stared as she disappeared beneath the covers in a rustle of fluffy cotton.

A few seconds passed while I tried to recover from the bewilderment.

"……What? That's all you going to d-!" I spluttered, gaping at her covered figure. "Shizuru!"

"Mmmm?" She purred, and stretched.

I tossed away the brush, scampered over and flopped down beside her in outrage. My face blazed as hot as an active volcano. Great, now my dignity decides to kick in. She had pulled up the quilt in a way befitting a true kindergartener. The only thing that you could really see of her now was a dishevelled mop of hair. Mouth open and aghast at her behaviour, I found my ability of intelligible speech lost and substituted by a series of gawking noises.

"Come to bed." She giggled, the mirth literally bubbling from her face as she peeked out. I remained immobile until a foot reached out and poked me gently in the side.

A few incomprehensible grumbles left me but I was unable to do anything but silently comply. Diving into my side of the bed, I turned my back at her with what was left of my pride. The boiling embarrassment was getting the better of me; I was just planning on another few days of the old silent treatment way of payback when her voice broke me from my sullen mood.

"Not there."

I glanced back and froze, almost choking on the air that was halfway down my lungs.

She was lying on her stomach, stretched out with one of her legs slightly pulled up as she held up the covers, gesturing to the spot beside her. My eyes widened at the sight of the purple silk that hugged her curves all the way down to her legs, revealing the fire red patterns of Chinese maple running along her graceful back. She was still smiling, even if there was a streak of something impish now mixed with her usual glee. I bit my lip, and exhaled the breath I had been holding in.

"Come over here." It wasn't even a suggestion, not with Fujino Shizuru and not with that tone.

I moved towards her slowly, feeling a familiar tweak of resistance tugging at the back of my mind. Shaking slightly, I brushed it off, continuing with no further hesitation. There was a brief flash of victory in her eyes, which changed back to the gentle look of adoration that I knew so well as soon as I lay down beside her. She wrapped her coverlet, which smelled of lilacs from her shampoo and hair, around us quickly to keep in the warmth.

The silence was deafening. I listened to her breathing, serene and reserved puffs of air, muffled by the sheets as they brushed against my face. In a sense, it felt like the calm before the storm as the atmosphere around us trembled with promise. Whatever daring bravado that made me spill my amorous request had long since evaporated as a kind of cool numbness overcame me. Blood was pounding in my ears, so loud that I thought it might deafen me, and that was nothing compared to the sudden surge of anxietynauseawhatevertheycallit……

My hand felt as if it belonged to someone else when I reached out; finding and massaging her arm tentatively in weak, tendering strokes as I gradually worked my way upwards. I cupped her clothed shoulder and squeezed, taking assurance in her soft warmth as I battled down the last of my fears. She let out a small gasp as my other hand followed, pushing against her chest while my fingers ran along the open folds of her kimono.

Her lack of response surprised me and I glanced up, my forehead connecting solidly with her nose as our faces were not more than an inch or two apart. I tried to muster an apologetic smile but the awkwardness made me falter.

"Shizuru?" I said in a barely audible whisper while trying my best to keep the fright out of my voice.

No reply came. There was a flash of red; all of sudden, something warm was pressed against my face along with a few streaks of salty wetness. A familiar smoothness flickered along my cheek as gentle fingers caressed the area around my mouth. There was the tenderness and firmness I knew so well, mingled with a steady resolve fuelled by passion. I could only whimper as I was swept along in its wake, quivering at the power of her touch with all the barriers gone.

Her thumb pressed against my lips in gentle strokes as my own hand found skin. I sighed at the sensation and closed my eyes only to have them pop open again when she pushed her mouth against mine, hard. There was no testing the waters as her tongue invaded the inside of my mouth, desperately as if I was her sole source of air, kissing and kissing… Shizuru kissed me like she was trying to drink in my soul. Our teeth clashed as her lips swirled over mine hungrily. I tried futilely to break away, gasping after oxygen.

My head spun. The sheer force and rawness of her conquest made me flinch in surprise; there was nothing remotely Fujino-like about it. I was being ravaged in an overpowering onslaught of desire.

It ended just as suddenly as it began. She pulled back, literally tearing herself from me with a heart-wrenching effort that left us both panting heavily. As air began to circulate my brain and my mind regained some clarity, I noticed that my hands were cupping her cheeks while my fingers were digging into her scalp in a rather painful way. She studied me intently, and there was nothing humorous or witty about her anymore as she pinned me with an almost feral gaze.

My mouth tasted faintly of copper, a testament to the prior treatment's roughness but there was no pain. It had been an honest kiss; a promise of no more facades and compromises since there could be none if we were to continue. It was also the concluding question to if this was really what I wanted.

I did not let her wait long. Having claimed my share of the breathing, I reached for her again and propped myself up, rolling her over with me on top. The sensation of pressing down onto her lubricious figure sent me into waves of faintness as our bodies came together. I brushed away a few errant strands of hair on her face, a flicker of joy and disbelief passed in her eyes as she opened her mouth to say something, only to have it silenced as I returned her previous favour with renewed vigour.

Everything became a blur of dark and fair coloured hair, limbs and jumbled sheets as I was over-washed by kisses and urgent touches. Arms encircled my waist and crushed me tight while needy hands clawed at my clothes, pulling me against her silk laden body. I buried my face into her neck, she smelled like how goddesses ought to; flowers like sweat in the moonlit snow, fragrant yet rich of a woman's essence. Her skin felt impossibly soft; a muffled moan escaped me in appreciation as the curves of our bodies merged and ground against each other.

I changed angles to deepen the kiss, my hands now yanking greedily at the sash of her kimono. Not until then did I notice that she indeed had been up to something earlier.

"You're not wearing any und-mmf?" Her warm tongue interrupted me, teasing its way down my throat and over my face. Slender fingers tickled my sides; she let out a few feverish whimpers as nails and teeth dug into skin, all while tugging at the remains of my clothes with unhurried grace. I hissed in pain, which quickly faded into a long-breathed sigh of approval.

Redness covered my sight. Deep, dark eyes, maple leaves and the fire in my mind; a great source of scorching flames, ablaze and fuelled by an urging thirst that could only be quenched in the oasis that lay before me. Her smile distracted me for a moment from my cravings and I paused breathlessly to admire the vision of her. It was the smile of something beautiful fulfilled - and a woman so very much in love. It was heartbreaking.

A gentle tug from behind brought me out of my reverie as she ran her hands across my back leisurely. Playful laughter with unsaid mischief rang in my ears. She pulled up her legs, sending shots of electricity through every fibre of my being as she arched back and wrapped herself around me, trapping our bodies together where she with little doubt intended to keep me for some time to come.

And really, I was in no position to complain.

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Some flowers may be meant to bloom, no matter how cold and callous their surrounding circumstances. That even in the pit of blackest despair may they flourish in their most radiant beauty, searing to be loved and love aback; yearning for each other under the cruellest of fates; shedding their blossoms in their search for the sun, the ray of light that one day surely will grow them a grassy green field to thrive in.

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She watched her sleep. Oblivious to the chill of the night and her own state of undress as she remained frozen in space, smothering the partly covered figure beneath the sheets with the smoky, rapt favour of her ruby-tinted gaze. A pleasant shiver ran down her spine, spurned partly by the cold but mainly from the exquisite view offered in front of her. Curious eyes slid smoothly along the hills and valleys of her lover's body, stopping from time to time when finding something that upheld her interest before moving on.

She felt no shame in her non-physical ministrations, this was a routine she often engrossed herself in during the late of night when no prying eyes could fault her. A small smile curled her lips. Albeit tonight was a bit different, and certainly a lot more interesting than all the previous nights together.

Lying down beside the still shape amidst their bed, Shizuru continued to let her gaze wander. Kuga Natsuki truly slept like a log, dead to the world and with all exterior walls down like a newborn baby. She was so still, that only the slight rise and falls of her exposed, bare chest gave her away, an easily detected detail for the brunette's trained eyes. The girl slept with her head tilted to the side, lips closed in a small pout while resting her arms spread like a child. The dark, waist-long hair lay wildly tossed around her face and torso like a net of obsidian silk, enhancing the stark contrast to her skin like the nightly shadows to moonlight. Even the usual frown of constant annoyance faded during those precious few hours, leaving her face in a temporary mask of blissful innocence and peace.

For Shizuru it was nothing less than perfection, she shuddered in delight as the events of the night came unbidden to mind. Memories of Natsuki against her; breathless, passionate and crying out in worship while clinging onto her like if every time would be their last. And she had given in likewise with no less devotion when the younger woman returned the favour.

Things remained so for awhile until she noticed with surprise that something wet was trickling down her cheeks. Some things never changed. Images and thoughts of the raven haired beauty still easily brought her to tears, but no longer out of despair and bitterness. Natsuki had drowned her tonight, and she had plunged herself unreserved into the depths of those once forbidden waters now willingly offered. Waters whose borders she once had breached in the face of temptation, a failure that had almost pushed them over the edge of disaster.

It had been no painless task to mend what was broken.

Nevertheless, Shizuru would gladly have traversed the same path ten times over again for the prize won – and now lay besides her snoring. A prize she had suspected for sometime now to be hers eventually yet never really dared to hope for.

But God, it had been worth it.

She loves me. Shizuru resisted the urge to trace a finger along the flushed softness of her beloved's cheek, afraid to disturb her slumber. Instead, she was content with watching the young woman sleep, enjoying the vastly improved view of tonight. Natsuki usually slept in a shirt, which right now lay tossed on the floor together with all their other unmentionables. The only complaint would be that the sheets covered her lower body, which enclosed her shapely legs completely from the brunette's amorous inspection. Maybe if she…

"Voyeurism is a crime you know."

Ara

"How long have you been awake?" she chuckled, unashamed of being caught in the act.

"Since you lay down," Natsuki muttered groggily between yawns, stretching her arms in a wide gesture before fluttering a pair of sleep-drunk eyes open to look at the other woman - and stopped dead.

"Natsuki is blushing," Shizuru stated with innocent glee.

"…shouldn't you get dressed?"

"Why?"

"Decency among others and you'll catch a cold. Where's your kimono?" Natsuki asked, not wanting to indulge the brunette's obviously giddy mood.

"I don't know, you were in charge of it."

"Very funny. Get something on, I don't want you sick, once was enough already."

"You didn't have to eat that rice gruel you made"

"What's wrong with Mayo gruel? I didn't hear you complaining then."

"Because I was down with 40 degrees worth of fever?"

"It happens to be a tasty, highly nutritious an-"

"-and entirely inappropriate to feed to your bedridden, barely conscious girlfriend," Shizuru said, in a matter of fact way.

Natsuki cringed slightly at the last statement and pulled up her coverlet; the brunette could have sworn that her blush had deepened even more. Shizuru's mouth formed a small o in astonishment. She found it amusing that the younger woman would still be reluctant to such a simple label of commitment, despite what had transpired tonight and had been brewing over the past few years between them. Still, it made her easy to tease.

"So, I'm not your girlfriend then?" she said, faking a slightly hurt tone.

"…didn't say that" Natsuki tried.

"Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"You're being difficult and I'm not falling for it"

"You're not going to dignify that with an answer then?"

"Exactly."

"You're having an affair, aren't you?"

"WHA-?" Natsuki spluttered, staring at Shizuru as if she had grown another head.

"Are you going to deny it?"

"Of course I am!"

"Then I know it to be true," Shizuru said in mock sadness.

"Where –who..! You've been reading Nao's magazines again haven't you!"

"Darn," The brunette pouted.

The dark-haired girl grimaced and fell back onto the bed, taking all the sheets with her. She couldn't believe the nerve of this woman, bringing something like that up right after they had… well, you know. But then, this was Shizuru. Natsuki smiled, patting tiredly beside her as she rubbed her eyes wearily.

"Come here, or I'll drag you."

"Oooh, sounds serious."

"Very, now do as I say."

"Do you want me to roll and fetch too?"

"Shizuru…" Natsuki groaned. It was far too early for this.

Instead of an answer, Natsuki suddenly felt how something nudged her in the ear, followed by the familiar feeling of Shizuru's lips fluttering along the crook of her neck. She let out a small, unconscious moan and turned to face the woman in question, just in time for her nose to connect with the tip of the brunette's tongue. The image was so absurd that she failed to hold back a giggle.

"I am Duran, I lick" Shizuru whispered, and then started laughing while trying to resume her poking of the younger woman who tried desperately to wiggle away.

"You certainly did" Natsuki replied in dry humour. "There's no talking to you when you're like this."

Sighing in defeat, the dark-haired woman wrapped the bedcovers around them like the reasonable grown-up she tried to be when there was no Fujinoism to rely on. She was still awkward about their nudity, but would rather die than admit it in the face of a gleeful Shizuru. The awkwardness quickly faded into reassurance when an arm shyly snuck itself around her waist, coming to rest against the lower half of her back. Natsuki tried her best to not mind the other hand so much, nor the placement of it.

"I've created a monster," she chuckled, mostly to herself.

"I didn't hear you complain before," The brunette replied smugly.

"I did, quite soundly too" The both of them fell silent at Natsuki's retort, and burst into giggles.

"Sorry, I was preoccupied," The brunette laughed and snuggled closer. Content with that, Shizuru slept.

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TBC?

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Author's notes: Lol, I gotta give writers like Entropy Empathy and The Kieli credit for creating a few decent (glorious) chapters of a multipart story before hitting the sack-scene. Because I guess this is what it is. The sack-o-doo without an actually story. How very pwp of me really, giggle. The fact remains however that I'm notorious bad at writing multiparts, not because they're harder to write but because I would be lynched for offending the Law of Irregular Updates before I even made it past the first half. Hence why this came forth.

I'd like to advocate my writing of this story thou, with AHEM portraying this as a tribute to the great act of physical commitment, aka sex. ;-D

As with love, sex comes in different shapes and forms as we grow and age. There is the initial confusion that comes with the hormones and inexperience. There is the wonderment and euphoria that comes with a first love. And there is the steady-paced, trustful, but no less passionate lovemaking of two who've found their place in each other. Be it brief, be it forever. Sex is to us many things, a relief, a comfort, an escape, a confirmation, a wasted or a treasured thing, it's up to you.

To this writer, it has been - and will probably always be – an act of devotion. Nothing more, nothing less. Not commitment, nor any kind of absolution. My life has been putting me through a great many doubts as of late, but this may be the one thing that has uncannily been strengthened during this year passed.

That I can be quite devoted, without being committed – but loving no less.

Whatever you may take with you from this story, be it a nosebleed or something wiser, keep Natsuki's revelation a few moments in thought; that the smile of someone in love is a vision to behold, and truly treasured. Especially if you're both naked.

LOL

Random Question of Silliness: Why does Shigan ALWAYS write Natsuki from first person POV?

Read and Review! Feed my lovestarved writer's soul! Oh woe! XD