Sam Nishimura woke to the unfamiliar feeling of being carried in strong arms and the glare of sunlight as it streamed through the waving leaves of the trees around them. How long had she been asleep? Had everything been a dream? She registered the feel of lace against her skin and the itchy makeshift tiara on her head. No, not a dream. The last thing she remembered was being tied up and unable to move. The Sun Queen Himiko was awaking above her, and before her Mathias and Lara were facing off with one another.
Sam's life had depended on that final battle, and when Lara had been knocked to the ground she thought that was the end, that they were both going to die here on the accursed island that was Yamatai. For Lara at least, that would have been the end, but Mathias had told Sam again and again of all the things he would make her do when Himiko had taken over her body. Terrible, vile things that made Sam shudder just to think of them.
She shuddered now and felt the arms around her tighten in response. She could hear Lara's laboured breathing and feel the judders when she stumbled through the thicker parts of the undergrowth. Sam briefly considered speaking up, telling Lara she was awake and could walk the rest of the way, but in all honesty she wasn't sure she could. She felt exhausted, as if the life force had been almost completely sucked out of her. If they ever made it home her first order of business would be to crawl under her bed covers and sleep for a thousand years.
"We're almost there, Sam, I can see the boat through the trees, and there's Reyes, and Jonah!" Sam wondered if Lara knew she was awake and expecting an answer. She was saved by Jonah's loud voice calling to them, and before long she had been transferred to his burly arms and gently set down on a bench. She opened her eyes a crack and saw Jonah smiling down at her.
"Welcome back to the world, eh?" He joked. He moved aside and Lara came into view. She was discussing something with Reyes, consulting her compass and pointing out to sea. After a few moments Reyes nodded and turned away to get the boat started. Lara stayed where she was for a few more seconds, her gaze on the island they were beginning to steadily move away from. Her expression was wistful, and Sam wondered what she was thinking.
Sam had seen first hand the brutality of the men who inhabited that island. At Mathias' orders they had easily slaughtered any who opposed him. They seemed to enjoy it, even, despite the fact that they had eaten and joked along with the victims just a day before. She wondered what Lara had seen, what terrible things she had had to do to survive. Sam knew that if it had been her standing there she'd have turned her back on the place that had brought her so much fear. But Lara's expression showed no fear.
The moment passed and Lara finally turned away. Her gaze shifted to Sam's and a smile graced her lips. She came and sat on the floor by the bench so that their faces were level, her smile still in place. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood and who knew what else and yet Sam had never seen her more at peace. Sam cleared her throat.
"I knew you would save me." She croaked, feeling like she had forgotten how to talk. She smiled, trying to show her gratitude, knowing it would never be enough.
Lara lifted a hand and pressed it against Sam's face. She could feel the newly acquired roughness of it against her skin. Lara's palm was a warm and welcome comfort after everything that had happened.
"I made you a promise." She simply said, tucking errant strands of Sam's hair out of her face. "Lets get you home."
They had been travelling for three days on the rescue ship and Sam still didn't feel much like leaving hers and Lara's cabin. Her bed was just too soft, her sheets too warm and her pillow too fluffy for her to ever contemplate getting up again. Lara had brought her meals and snacks for which she had been immensely grateful, and in between those she had done nothing but sleep.
She was surprised that Lara hadn't done the same, since she had been the one doing all the rescuing. Sam had barely seen her since they had boarded, and when she was in the room she usually had her nose buried in some book or other. In fact, she seemed a whole lot more animated now than she had been before this ill advised trip. She was always running off to check something with Reyes or the Captain and then coming back to add notes to her journal and the collection of maps she had gathered from around the ship. Sam left her to it, feeling like if she ever saw another uncharted map it would be a moment too soon.
Night fell on the third day of their ten day journey home, and Sam was awake for once when Lara was getting ready to climb into her own bed. She watched in silence as Lara turned away and lifted her white tank top over her head, revealing a back riddled with sores, scratches and dark, angry bruises. The worst of these was the puncture wound between her ribs and her hip that the medic on board had had to stitch back together. Sam winced just looking at the injury, she couldn't imagine how it had felt.
"How did you survive all that...?" She had spoken without thinking, her brain preoccupied with disturbing thoughts about how Lara had acquired each and every scar she was sure to have. Lara froze in the midst of pulling on the t-shirt she slept in and turned her head to the side, catching Sam in the corner of her eye.
"I just...did." She let the t-shirt drop, covering the multitude of cuts. Sam sat up in her bed, not satisfied with the answer.
"I couldn't have done it." She whispered, hugging her knees. "If I had been in your place we would have all died. You were so brave, Lara. How did you do it?"
For a few minutes Lara didn't answer, and Sam wondered if she was trying to think of a way to avoid the question. Then, when Lara had finally climbed into her bed, she lay on her side and gazed at Sam with dark eyes. "Whenever I felt like I couldn't go on, like I didn't have the strength to take one more step, to kill one more man...I thought about what I would lose if I failed." The meaning behind the words was made clear by the intense look in Lara's eyes, and Sam blushed.
"Me?" She tentatively asked.
"You." Lara confirmed. Then, as if to lighten the atmosphere, she added, "Besides, I know you would have never let me rest in peace if I let you die out there." She grinned.
"You bet your ass I wouldn't." Sam chuckled. "Thank you, though. For saving my life."
Lara's eyes were closed but a small smile graced her lips at Sam's words. "I'd do it all over again if I had to." She drawled sleepily. The words were said so easily, but the effect they had on Sam was profound. Something inside her shifted and her chest seemed to expand in a way that felt incredibly good. She fell asleep clinging to that good feeling, knowing it was the girl across the room who had generated such a reaction.
Sam woke in the very early hours of the morning. It was still dark out and the sea was thankfully calm. She immediately looked for Lara in her bed, feeling slight confusion when she saw the bed was empty. Where could Lara be at this hour? Feeling oddly worried, Sam left her bed and pulled on some warm clothes, intending to go and look for her room-mate. When she stepped out into the corridor, she felt compelled to head towards the top deck, feeling sure that Lara was there.
Sure enough, when she emerged out into the open she saw her, standing at the railings, her arms crossed and resting on the top rail. Sam approached and stood beside her, trying to see what she was staring at.
"Is there something out there?" She asked, resting her hip on the rails.
"What? Oh, no. I'm just thinking." Lara replied vaguely. Sam frowned.
"You came out here in the middle of the night to think?" She questioned.
Lara chuckled. "Yes. I kind of like the outdoors now, and the deck is quiet at this time."
"But it's freezing," Sam said, shivering, "Come back inside and tell me what's wrong." She took hold of Lara's hand and tugged, but Lara held her place.
"Sam, wait." She kept hold of Sam's hand and looked down at their intertwined fingers. "I was thinking about...about being out there, about what might have happened. And if there's one thing I've learned..." She brought her eyes up to meet Sam's, and it was like looking into two bottomless chasms. "It's that you shouldn't take anything for granted, and you shouldn't let anything you want just slip you by." And with that she pulled Sam close and kissed her.
Sam was only startled for a moment before the feeling inside her chest arose once again and urged her to respond. She did so with enthusiasm, bringing her free hand up to stroke along Lara's neck and grasp it at the back. The kiss was gentle but intense, and Sam couldn't stifle the moan that escaped when Lara pressed a hand into the small of her back, bringing their bodies impossibly closer and creating heat between them.
The kiss seemed to last for hours and the cold was long forgotten by the time they broke apart. Each was breathing heavily as they rested their foreheads together, catching their breath.
"I love you, Sam," Lara whispered, "I have for so long."
Sam blushed. She didn't know what to say. She'd never been in love before. But she'd also never felt the way she did when Lara kissed her. And what a wonderful feeling that was. Making a decision, she kissed the corner of Lara's mouth and moved out of her grasp. Again she tugged on her hand. "Come with me." She said.
This time Lara seemed happy to oblige and allowed herself to be led back to their cabin without resistance. When they were both inside the room Sam turned back to lock the door, ensuring their privacy. When she turned back to face Lara, she was surprised by the uncertainty in her expression.
"What's wrong, Lara?" She asked, hoping that she wasn't having second thoughts. Sam wanted more of her kisses and her touch, more of her.
"Are you sure you want this too?" Lara ventured, her gaze switching between Sam and her bed.
Sam smiled reassuringly and stepped towards Lara. She grasped her face in both hands and kissed her, quickly deepening the kiss. Lara's arms wrapped around her middle as she accepted the non-verbal message Sam was giving.
Sam suddenly felt her feet leave the ground and she was swiftly deposited onto Lara's bed where, after pulling off both their shoes, Lara joined her. There was a momentary pause as they lay together, Lara's body half covering Sam's as she propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at Sam's face.
"You're beautiful, Sam." She whispered, caressing Sam's face with her free hand. Sam blushed at the compliment and Lara smiled tremulously. "Even more so when you go all red like that." She chuckled when Sam glared at her.
"Just stop teasing me and kiss me for God's sake!" She ordered, smacking Lara on the arm for effect.
Lara laughed. "Who am I to ignore a direct order from the almost-sun-queen herself?" She smirked, and leaned down to kiss Sam before she could be told off again. In between kisses she made quick work of Sam's clothes, throwing them off to the side without a care. Sam felt cool air on her bare skin before it was covered by Lara, who had shed her own clothes and now pressed their naked bodies together. The sensation thrilled Sam and made her moan out loud, a sound which seemed to please Lara to no end.
No longer satisfied by Sam's lips, Lara kissed her way along her jawline and briefly nibbled her earlobe before pressing her lips around the pulse point in Sam's neck and sucking it to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Sam shivered at the contact, feeling every suck and every swipe of Lara's tongue as though it was elsewhere. Her body yearned for that mouth to move to places it was much more needed.
Needing to do something with her hands, Sam stroked them over the strong planes of Lara's back, feeling each and every bump and scratch that had yet to heal. She found herself wanting to kiss each one, but with Lara's mouth moving insistently lower she was content with just using her hands to gently trace each blemish she could feel. She almost added a few more scratches when Lara's lips surrounded a nipple and sucked it hard into her mouth. She settled for groaning out loud as Lara's tongue circled and flicked the taut flesh, teasing her mercilessly.
"Lara..." She moaned, her hips lifting against Lara's stomach. She could feel her own wetness coating Lara's skin and the thought of that alone almost made her come. She ground her hips against the hardened muscles, seeking release.
"Don't you dare." Lara grinned, lifting her body away from Sam's aching centre. Sam flopped back onto the bed, feeling both exhausted and wound up to the point of explosion. Lara was kneeling between her outspread legs, clearly enjoying her predicament.
Sam closed her eyes and growled. "I swear to God if you don't-" she gasped as her sex was spread apart by gentle thumbs and Lara blew a line of cool air along the silky wet folds. Her clit twitched in response, making her inner muscles contract and release a new flood of arousal which Lara immediately swept up with her tongue. She then proceeded to do a fantastic job of playing her tongue over every bit of flesh she could reach, expertly managing to avoid swiping over the quivering mess of nerves that pulsed with hot blood.
Sam was burning up with need. Her body was coiled so tight she thought she might snap into pieces, and still Lara was teasing her. She felt Lara moving back up her body, replacing her mouth with her fingers, which still avoided that all important spot.
"How do you feel?" Lara whispered, brushing her mouth over Sam's ear.
"Like I'm going to kill you." Sam snapped back. She felt Lara's breath hot on her ear as the other girl chuckled. She was about to take matters into her own hands when Lara swiftly entered her with two fingers. She clamped down immediately and moaned, her whole body jerking as if she had electricity running through her veins. She wrapped her legs around Lara's hips, drawing her closer still, needing her deeper, needing more. Lara's mouth was on her neck again but Sam barely noticed, her focus entirely on the fingers that were curling inside her, heightening her arousal, making her want to scream with frustration. Her body couldn't take much more.
And then Lara pressed her thumb against Sam's clit and circled it at an excruciatingly slow pace until Sam was coming, the scream inside her finally let loose as her orgasm completely overtook her body. The world disappeared for what seemed like hours and all Sam could feel was pure ecstasy as every nerve ending in her body blazed white hot with intense pleasure. She was in heaven, and she never wanted to leave.
But leave she must, and after a few more moments her orgasm began to subside and Lara slowed her fingers to a stop, eventually withdrawing them. Sam groaned, feeling completely exhausted despite the fact that she hadn't done much more than lie back whilst Lara made her feel phenomenal. She opened her eyes after a few minutes of recuperation, finding Lara looking down at her with satisfied smirk on her face.
"H-how did you know how to...you know...?" Sam panted.
Lara laughed. "Lets just say I've read a lot of books." She replied. She laid herself down beside Sam, seemingly content to call it a night and go to sleep. Sam was having none of that.
"When we get home I'm checking out your book collection." She warned, rolling over until she covered Lara's body with her own. "Until then I'm just going to wing it, okay?" She grinned.